Adam wasnât surprised to learn that, unlike Magnus or Refesa, Aiden didnât allow other scientists onto his premises.
The Morton Observatory was his domain alone, and no one had the right to operate there without his explicit permission.
For this same reason, apart from the main building, the Morton Observatory itself, there were no other structures here, unlike at other observatories.
However, the Morton Observatory was a complex structure. The dome building on the surface, as well as the main courtyard visible from the slums and the walls, was merely the ground floor, with many more levels below.
But that wasnât what Adam was thinking about right now. He was already here, on the observatory grounds, waiting to meet Aiden, but instead of a free-roaming scientist, he was now looking at two girls.
Step.
Gladius stepped forward, raising an eyebrow.
"What are you two doing here?"
The girl standing on the left, with light hair and a wayward bang swaying in front of her face, smiled.
"Mr. Aiden said to meet you. To be honest, Natta and I were just as surprised as you are. Usually, he doesnât receive guests. Though, you know that better than we do."
Natta, the girl on the right, nodded. She had short red hair, pale skin, and a pretty face.
"Sanoâs right. Itâs an unusual experience to meet someone like this, but that just means tonight is special, right?"
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
Gladius scratched the back of his head before sighing heavily.
"Agh, I see. I should have expected this." He turned to Adam and waved his hand. "Adam, this is Sano and Natta. Theyâre Aidenâs servants, or something like that."
Then, he turned to the girls.
"So, what do you want?"
The girls exchanged glances before tilting their heads and touching their lips with confused expressions.
"Hmm? Didnât we just tell you? Weâre here to meet him!"
They pointed at Adam simultaneously.
"Adam Vinter, you want to meet Aiden Henk, donât you?"
Step.
Without hesitation, Adam stepped forward.
"Yes. Iâm not going to put this off any longer."
Sano nodded.
"Great, in that case, Mr. Aiden is waiting for you."
Natta smiled. "Heâs on the second basement level right now, in the main hall. Follow us."
Adam turned to Silvana as she nodded.
Gladius didnât know that Aiden had already figured everything out, but he didnât dwell on it too much. He just shrugged and headed forward, even though he knew this place even better than Natta and Sano.
Step. Step. Step.
Once they passed through the gates, they soon found themselves in an elevator that began its descent to the second basement level.
All Adam had time to do was glance at what the observatory looked like from the inside. To his surprise, there was nothing unusual here compared to Magnusâs or Refesaâs observatories. It was an ordinary laboratory full of expensive, modern equipment, white tables, and monitors, most of which were turned off, and only a few emitted a faint blue glow.
In fact, without any staff, other scientists and their assistants, or even just office clerks, and their personal belongings, the place looked deserted.
"Wait..." Adam thought, looking at Natta and Sano as the elevator doors closed. "It canât be that these two are the only people here besides Gladius and Xyrea, right?"
The Morton Observatory was certainly not an abandoned place, but it was quite empty.
Adam didnât know this, but just a few floors below, a year ago, Aiden had been conducting an experiment on Glara. She was the sister of one of the Phantoms who had died on a mission when Adam had encountered the Plague Reaper, obtained his first Midnight Crystal, and met Osana.
Glara had become just one of Aidenâs experiments in finding new ways to create the Natural Phantoms, believing that at least at the early levels, they surpassed the rest.
Gladius had taken part in this, but the bulk of the work had been done by Sano and Natta, even though they were ordinary people at the time.
âHow strange...â Adam muttered to himself, looking at Sano and Natta. âIs something wrong with their auras? At first I thought they were humans, but thatâs not the case, is it?â
Gladius stood off to the side, leaning against the wall.
Neither Adam nor the girls said a word, but a single twitch in Adamâs expression and his intense glare were more than enough for Gladius.
"Oh, so he figured it out that quickly?" Gladius smirked inwardly. "Not bad, not bad at all. Sano and Natta have finally received their reward for their loyalty, though..."
His eyes swept over the two girls who, despite the difference in their strength, felt his gaze but didnât show it.
âEven I couldnât call these two sadists human beings, even when they actually were.â
Cling!
With a quiet hum, the elevator stopped as a faint blue glow fell on their faces before the doors opened.
Adamâs heart began to race. He knew that Aiden Henk was waiting for him behind those doors, and despite his determination, he was nervous about this meeting, perhaps the most important one of all.
"Weâre here," Sano announced before stepping forward. The others followed her.
He didnât know what to expect, but as soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Adam froze.
Before them lay a vast underground hall filled with modern panels, consoles, and screens that covered the curved walls in several tight rows.
However, none of it was turned on.
The only things that were working were the coffee machine on the table, a single lamp, and the monitor of a solitary computer.
Sitting in a chair was a middle-aged man, yet with skin as smooth as a young manâs.
He had hair as white as snow, with ends that fell below his eyebrows, swaying before his amber eyes, unusual for a human.
"Mr. Aiden!" Sano smiled broadly. "We brought him just as you ordered!"
Aiden didnât say a word.
Instead, he turned on the coffee machine and brewed himself a strong cup of coffee. The dark circles under his eyes showed he hadnât slept in a long time.
Only when his cup was full did he take a single sip and turn toward them, while a wisp of hot steam drifted past his face.
"Hello, Adam Vinter, my best failure."